Turkey sets stage for final vote approving Sweden’s Nato bid after long delay
- Turkish foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join Nato before final vote
- Nato member Turkey has delayed ratification of Sweden’s membership for more than a year
Turkey moved closer to approving Sweden’s long-awaited accession to Nato with a key parliamentary committee backing the bid, paving the way for a vote by the full assembly in Ankara as early as this week.
Turkey’s Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed Sweden’s entry to the military alliance, clearing one of the final hurdles for Stockholm.
The parliament is widely expected to follow suit when it votes, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signalling he’s in favour and his ruling AK party and its allies having a comfortable majority in the chamber.
Sweden would help bolster the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and strengthen Europe’s defences following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
US President Joe Biden and European leaders have pushed Erdogan to approve the country inclusion. Turkey is the last hold-out in the bloc along with Hungary.
“Sweden has made amendments in its Constitution and laws that will allow it to be more effective in its counterterrorism efforts and prevent terror activities,” said Fuat Oktay, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee. “Sweden has removed open and veiled embargoes against our country,” he said during the discussions.